This phrase actually came from Tiger Woods. At his news conference before the 2010 Masters.  He actually said that his father told him he must, “Learn to help himself, before he helped others.”  But I decided I liked “lead” instead of “help” so thanks Tiger for the quote.

I have experienced many types of leaders through my life.  Many of them never really lead as much as they told those that worked for them what to do. They then went about taking credit for the good, and giving blame for the bad.  I worked with a man once that complained about Dr. John C. Maxwell’s writing on leadership, but never read any of it.  I would suggest he never learned to lead himself.

Discipline is hard, but discipline is a must for anyone who wants to be successful at whatever they do.  If you are always late, it is because you are not disciplined enough to be on time.  Not because your family is a late family and you always have been.   When I was in the Navy I learned this lesson first hand.  I was relieved from my watch every day by a man who was consistently late.  I reported the man several times and he was moved to other watch sections but his tardiness never ceased.  He was finally taken to Captains Mast and reduced in rank before being released from the Navy.  His inability to be on time cost him his job, and he never knew why.

Control your tongue. Swearing is one of the best signs of an  undisciplined mouth.  In the bible we are told that the tongue is like the rudder of a ship.  A rudder is small in comparison to the ship, but turns the thing.  Your tongue can lead you down roads you do not want to travel.  Swearing is not the only sign of an undisciplined tongue.  Arguing, sarcasm, complaining, and gossip are other signs.  No one wants to be around someone who complains all the time.  It’s just not fun.  Learn to control what you say and do by Forming Better Habits which can take some time, but pay huge dividends in the long run.

Discipline is more than being on time and controlling how you talk.  But being on time is a good start and controlling what you say is a good start.  Make a list of things you need to do and stick to the list this way you can be encouraged by you progress, and prodded when you slack.  Always remember, you can only accomplish something if you do it.   The minute you put it off, you will stop and lose your momentum.

From Mary Jo Asmus  Stuck? Admit It and Ask For Help

Have you ever asked that question of someone, or maybe yourself when they or you made a complete blunder?  I am watching a one year old pull over signs as his mother yells from across the room not to do that, like the one year old can understand, and I am thinking what are you thinking.  I know don’t sweat the small stuff, I’m trying.  Where do we hear it the most.  unless you have an overly dramatic parent or friend that says that a lot, you hear it in sports.  When the quarterback or pitcher makes a bad throw the announcer yells, “What was he thinking!”  Or when Tiger woods makes a bad shot the announcer says in a hushed tone, “I don’t know what he was thinking.”  Never mind that the person who commented could not even tie the shoes of most of these athletes but he or she has more power than anyone to disparage the play simply because he or she has a microphone or is a fan of the team.  Chang it to people who have success.  Does anyone ever ask Donald trump what he is thinking when he makes a good deal, or Tiger when he makes a good shot.  what do they think about when they have success.  What was Sully Sullenberger thinking when he landed that plane in the Hudson River.  He said he was thinking about the procedure.  Why?  Because he had made that landing or similar ones in a simulator before.  He had practiced the shot.

So What Were They Thinking?

Most professional athletes are the same way.  They practice being successful over and over and over.  Their minds are trained for success.  They watch the right films to put into their heads what to expect from each opponent in that game.  the study playbooks that have hundreds of different plays and memorize each one so success is always on their brain.  They believe they can do it.  When asked before the 2009 Masters if he believed he could win Tiger Woods replied, “Of course.”  If he thought about loosing all the time he would not be the tiger Woods we know.  He would be bagging groceries and maybe playing golf as a hobby but not the best golfer of our time.  If you want to be successful you have to start putting successful thoughts in your mind.  Success does not show up for most people.  Winning the lottery is not a practical avenue for success.  It is a poor persons tax not a success strategy.

Practice what you want to achieve.  If you start out as a hobby with what you want to be successful at, you can get really good at it before you quit your job and go full-time.  Turn off the television and begin to see yourself doing what it is you’re called to do in life.  If you don’t know what your calling is then begin to ask yourself what would I do if money were no object?  What would I do for free or little money?  What are your hobbies you enjoy doing now?  What did you want to do as a kid?  For me it was ppofessional speaking.  I would walk around our kitchen and speak to an audience of ten thousand people.  I would visualize them as I talked.  See yourself succeeding and practice being that success and as you begin to see yourself as a success you will begin to become what you dream about.